Pick-up trucks have been, for many years, one of the most economically important vehicles to the United States automotive industry. Consumer uses vary from snow clearing, hauling and off-road use to conventional automobile transmit activities. As with many popular vehicles, various after market accessories have become available. Bed accessories have become increasingly popular as a means for facilitating various uses for pick-up trucks. Consumers are presently offered a wide variety of tonneau covers, bed liners and truck caps for accessorizing their vehicles. In addition, coolers, tool boxes, bed extenders, campers and even specialty hound dog cages are commonly seen on the road.
While the variety, appearance and utility of pick-up truck accessories has increased dramatically over the years, a drawback to the overall vehicle design has been the relatively high positioning of the truck bed relative to the ground. Increasing ruggedness and accessorizing of trucks has created many truck models with the bed positioned at too high a level for an individual to step easily into, and out of. Where a truck user is loading heavy or bulky items into the vehicle, it is often necessary for the user to place his load on the tailgate, step into the bed of the truck, then bend over to pick up his load and position it where desired.
Various auxiliary folding steps have been proposed over the years to assist users in stepping into or out of the bed of their truck. Such devices have met with varying success, in part because they tend to be relatively large and bulky, therefore difficult to use, and can interfere with the ordinary use of the tailgate or truck bed. Moreover, such devices tend to detract from the overall aesthetic appeal of the vehicle.